Spanish · A1 · Family moment

Quiet time and naps in Spanish

This guide helps parents use gentle Spanish to transition children into nap time or quiet play, focusing on soft commands and shared activities.

What you'll learn

Es hora de estar tranquilos.
It is quiet time.
Literally 'It is time to be quiet/calm'.
Túmbate, por favor.
Lie down, please.
The 'te' at the end makes it personal to the child.
Cierra los ojos.
Close your eyes.
In Spanish, we usually say 'the eyes' rather than 'your eyes' when the owner is obvious.
Aquí está tu osito.
Here is your teddy.
'Osito' is the cute diminutive of 'oso' (bear).
Shh, el bebé está durmiendo.
Shh, the baby is sleeping.
Use 'está durmiendo' for an action happening right now.
¿Dormiste bien?
Did you sleep well?
A simple way to check in after a nap.
Puedes leer en silencio.
You can read quietly.
'En silencio' means 'in silence'.
Vamos a acurrucarnos.
Let's cuddle.
'Acurrucarse' is a sweet verb for snuggling up.

Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.

La siesta

Nap

A very common word in Spanish-speaking cultures for afternoon rest.

El osito

Teddy bear

Adding '-ito' to a word makes it smaller or cuter.

Tranquilo/a

Quiet/Calm

Use 'tranquilo' for a boy and 'tranquila' for a girl.

To give a gentle instruction to a child, use the 'tú' form. For most verbs, you just use the same form as 'he/she' in the present tense.

Use	Form	Example
Close	Cierra	Cierra la puerta (Close the door).
Sleep	Duerme	Duerme un poco (Sleep a little).

To say 'Let's do something,' use 'Vamos a' followed by the verb in its original (infinitive) form.

Use	Form	Example
Let's rest	Vamos a descansar	Vamos a descansar ahora.
Let's read	Vamos a leer	Vamos a leer un cuento.

¿Tienes sueño?

Are you sleepy?

Literally 'Do you have sleep?'

Descansa un poco.

Rest a little.

A gentle way to suggest a break.

¡Buenas noches!

Goodnight!

Also used for 'Good evening'.